A great grandmother has come to be an “invincible” force of nature after receiving a second chance at life 26 years ago.
Pearl Cameron, from Banchory, had a heart transplant in 1995 after doctors discovered she had restrictive cardiomyopathy, meaning the pump in her heart wasn’t working.
Following eight years of different medications and treatments in her late thirties, she was told the surgery was her only way of survival.
The 70-year-old has now opened up about how the operation turned her life around as the country marks 30 years since the first heart transplant was carried out in Scotland.
“When I was confined to my bed it was a really difficult time”, Mrs Cameron said. “I never gave up, but I did come quite close.
“But when the call came through for a transplant, I wasn’t worried. I didn’t doubt that I was going to come through it, I went into it fighting and came out of it fighting.
“I’ve been one of the lucky ones. After my transplant I didn’t take time out, I just hit the ground running and went for it and I’ve been like that ever since.”
‘The heart transplant gave me a whole new life’
Inspired to live each day like it was her last, Mrs Cameron went from struggling to walk to completing triathlons.
She has taken part in the UK and the European Transplant Games in France, Italy and Ireland and tried everything from climbing and canoeing, to cycling and deep sea diving.
As someone who has never been good at sports, she was “surprised” to end the competitions with 43 medals for her achievements and a trophy for Best Overall Lady.
Since her “whole new life” started, Mrs Cameron has gone to college to complete a graphic design course.
She later became one of the original members of the headline-grabbing group dubbed Graffiti Grannies, who made it their mission to add colour to the Granite City with vibrant spray-paint designs.
The group bonded at the LATA-65 Young at Art project during the Nuart festival in 2019, and has since gained huge fame across the UK with several appearances on national TV.
Going from strength to strength, Mrs Cameron said the heart transplant has given her a “whole new life” she never expected to have.
She said: “I’ve just seized my second chance at life. To come from literally being bed bound to suddenly feeling that I was actually invincible was just incredible.
“I know that sounds crazy, but being able to no longer say no to things, and just say yes, was just amazing for me.
“Throughout everything I’ve done I’ve raised lots of money for charities so a lot of good has come for other people too, not just myself.
“My life has absolutely been more fulfilling. I thought I had a pretty good life before, but I’ve certainly lived a lifetime since my transplant.”
Generosity of donors and their families keeps saving lives
Scotland’s heart transplant service began in Glasgow on December 16, 1991, before the country’s first historic heart transplant was carried out on January 2 the following year.
Since then, 445 life-saving transplants have been carried out thanks to selfless donors and their families who support the donation of organs so others can live.
Of that figure, 164 have been performed at NHS Golden Jubilee in Clydebank since the service moved there in 2008.
Giving someone the chance to live, or giving them a better quality of life is just an amazing thing to do. Not only did it change my life, it has changed all of my family’s too.”
– Pearl Cameron
NHS Golden Jubilee medical director Mark McGregor said: “There have been many advancements in heart transplantation over the past three decades, enabling NHS Golden Jubilee as the only Scottish centre to use these innovations in devices and medications to help people.
“However, the one thing that enables us to keep saving lives year on year is the generosity of the donor and their families as, without them, it simply would not be possible.
“Organ donation and heart transplantation are very complex and emotional subjects, but there is absolutely no doubt that this gift of life is precious to those who receive it.”
Mrs Cameron added: “I wrote a letter to my donor’s family. It took me 3 years to write, I don’t know how many attempts it took me to write, but one day I woke up and the words just came.
“Everyone who receives some type of transplant, I would expect is really very grateful.
“Not only did it change my life, it has changed all of my family’s too and I have been here to see my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren grow up because of that.
“Giving someone the chance to live, or giving them a better quality of life is just an amazing thing to do for someone and I would encourage people to join the organ donation register.”
